Bundelkhand
conjures up a picture of poverty and backwardness in the minds of people. The
region has also lagged behind agriculturally due to its typical geographical
terrain and climatic conditions.

The Uttar Pradesh part of Bundelkhand comprises seven
districts: Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Banda and Chitrakoot. It
produces rabi crops like chana (gram), masur (lentil) and matar (pea) in large
quantities. The cropped area during the rabi (winter-spring) season is around
18.50 lakh hectares (lh). But the fact that the corresponding area in kharif
(summer-monsoon) has hovered just around 9 lh has meant farmers are largely
dependent on a single harvest.

Low planting during kharif is primarily attributed to Anna
Pratha, a traditional system under which people leave their cattle unfettered to
graze in others’ fields, making farmers less inclined to sow their lands. This
does not, however, happen in the rabi season, when farmers keep their cattle at
home.

To understand this, one must also appreciate the peculiar
circumstances prevailing in Bundelkhand. Firstly, this region has traditionally
been rainfed and suffers from shortage of water. Due to the vagaries of monsoon,
the farmers generally leave their fields fallow during kharif and cultivate the
main rabi crop using the residual moisture. Secondly, the average landholding
size here has tended to be larger compared to other parts of UP. Farmers could,
therefore, make do with even one good crop. Thirdly, being rainfed made the area
also prone to fodder shortages during the summer season, leading farmers to
leave cattle free to survive on whatever came their way in the fields. This
became an accepted practice and farmers stopped sowing during the kharif season.
Such vast lands remaining un-cropped were, of course, a national wastage for the
country.

The above situation has, however, changed in recent times.
With increase in population levels, average landholding sizes have come down
significantly in this region also. Besides, the last two rabi seasons of 2014
and 2015 have seen unseasonal rains and hailstorm, causing severe losses to
farmers. Although crop insurance covers 15 per cent of Bundelkhand’s farmers,
thrice the state’s average, it is still far too small. Given their dependence on
rabi proceeds, consecutive crop failures were a big jolt for the region’s
farmers. They now desperately sought a source of additional income.

This is where the UP government stepped in with a policy
announcement. Recognising the potential for cultivation of til (sesame) in
Bundelkhand during kharif, the subsidy on its seeds was increased from Rs 20/kg
to Rs 100/kg. The decision to promote sesame was taken consciously, considering
that the cattle do not eat this crop. Sesame seed was procured in large
quantities to be distributed among farmers and an aggressive campaign to boost
acreages during this kharif season was launched, involving departmental
officers, NGOs, district and divisional officers and all others concerned.

The results have been extremely encouraging. As compared to
kharif 2014, an additional 2 lh has been cultivated in Bundelkhand this year;
the area under sesame alone has gone up from 2.25 to 3.5 lh. The premise that if
farmers are able to get proper return from their crop, they will plant
irrespective of Anna Pratha, has turned out to be correct! This has been made
possible with the active intervention of local administration. Farmers were
particularly thankful to the administration for imposing restrictions on those
who leave their cattle unfettered to graze in others’ fields. All this has
resulted in increased coverage — visible from the kilometres and kilometres of
sesame on both sides along the Orai-Jhansi highway. Fodder for cattle is, no
doubt, a crucial issue that needs addressing. But if the farmer has the
purchasing power, he can very well procure his fodder requirement from the
market.

The economics of sesame cultivation is equally revealing. It
is a crop ideal for rainfed areas. As an indigenous oilseed used in preparation
of sweets from gajak, rewari and ladoos to tilkut, there is no dearth of a
market for it either. Sesame fetches a better price for farmers than other
oilseeds: Farmers are today getting around Rs 7,000 per quintal, which is more
than the government’s minimum support price of Rs 4,700 for the crop.

Bringing Bundelkhand to the World.
बुंदेलखंड का सर्वप्रथम ऑनलाइन वेब पोर्टल
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